Box-fastener.



E. L" WATBOUS.

BOX FASTENER.

APPLIOATIOH FILED my a, 1909.

Patented 3st. 29, 1912.

LGQQEEL WTTED STATES. Parana" EDWARD L. warnous, or nus aromas, IOWA, assienbnro item 3. am, or

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To all whom it may concern: 7

a citizen of the United States,"residing atf Des Moines, in the .county. of Polk and. State of Iowa, have invented a new and'useful Box-Fastener, of which the following 1 is a specification.

The object of my inventionis to provide,

a fastener of simple,-durabl,e and inexpen sive construction, especially designed for use in securing hinged doors to the body portions of machines, such for instance as washing machines, said fastener, however, being susceptible of use in connecting any hinged member with a stationary one.

More specifically it is my object to provide a fastener of this kind in which the entire fastener is constructed complete of sheet metal and spring wire, andwhich is so'arranged that when the device is in its latched position, the operator may grasp the handle thereof, and by drawing it upwardly, he may release the latch and also elevate the hinged member, and when it is desired to close the latch, the operator need only grasp the handle and move it downwardly, and then inwardly, to thereby firmly and securely connect the hinged member with the.

stationary one.

My invention'consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the,various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more.

fully set forth, pointed out my claims and illustrated in the accompanying ,drawings in which Figure l'shows a top or plan view of a fastener embodying my invention applied to a hinged member. Fig. 2 shows a front elevation of same. Fig. 3 shows a side view of same, the'hinged member and the staionary member to which the fastener is applied being shown in section, and Fig. 4

1 shows a detail perspective view of the keeper designed to be secured to the stationary member.

to the stationary member is formed com- Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed May 8, 1909. SeriaLNoi 498,580."

' Patented0et.29,1912.

plete of' a'single piece. of sheet metal made Be it known that LEDWARD L. WA'rBous. i

of. re si-lient material, such as steel. It comprises a flat body portion 12 having a bolt opening 13 therein, designed to receive a bolt 14, or other fastening device.

At one end of the part 12 is an extension 15arranged at an acute an le relative to the part 12,.and at the end 0 the part 15 is a head 16; This head 16 extends transversely of the parts 12 and 15, and is arranged substantlallyat right angles to the endof the part 15.- ][t is also concave in shape from the point where it unites with the part 15, to

the outer,edge thereof, as clearly shown in against the side of the stationary member 10.

The part of the fastener that is attached to the hinged member 11 comprises a flat plate 19, having a cylindrical loop 20 formed in one end. This cylindrical loop 20 is designed to receive a link. Said link is formed complete of a single piece of sprin wire, and its central portion is mounted 1n said loop 20, and its sides are curved or bowed outwardly and downwardly, as shown in Fig. 3, and its ends extended straight inwardly toward each other. The said sides are indicated by the numeral 21, and the ends by the numeral 22. The other member is formed complete of a single piece of spring wire, and comprises a handle 23 formed in the central portion of the wire. Said handle is also provided with two integral loops 24 designed to receive the ends 22, and to thus pivotallyconnect the handle member with the link member.

Beyond the loops 24, the wire of the handle member is extended in line with the handle member in .the opposite direction tend inwardl toward each other at 25.

The outer en of the handle is curved outwardly, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, so that when it is in engagement with the statlonary member 10, an operator may easily insert his fingers between the handle and the member 10, to thereby conveniently grasp the handle. The parts of the handle and l1 nk are so arranged and proportloned relative to the stationary keeper, that when the latch is in its closed position, as shown in Fig. 3, the pivot point of the handle member and link will be inside of a line drawn through the pivot point of the link, and the po1nt where the handle member engages the part 15, as shown by the dotted lines 1n F1g. 3. Hence, the bin ed member Wlll be firmly held to the stationary member, and onv account of the curvature in the sides of the link, the hinged member will be yieldingly held to the stationary member. Furthermore, in the event that there should be any variation in the thickness of the h nged member, or if for any reason the hlnged member were prevented from lymg flat upon and close to the stationary member, such variations would not interfere w1th the closing of the fastener, because of the curvature in the spring link.

In practical use, and assuming the fastener to be in the position shown in Fig. 3, then if it is desired to open the hinged member, the operator simply grasps the handle and pulls it outwardly and upwardly. The first effect of this will be to move the pivot point of the handle and link past the dead center line shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3, to thereby release the fastener, and the next effect will be to raise the hinged member so that the fastener proper forms a convenient handle for raising and lowering the hinged member.

In closing the fastener, the operator also grasps the handle and moves it' downwardly in such position that the ends 25 of the handle member will first strike upon the inclined portion 15. This will serve as a guide to cause the ends 25 to engage the head 16 adjacent to the part 15, and the operation is completed by forcing the handle end inwardly toward the stationary member 10 and past the dead center line.

It is obvious that the device is of very simple and inexpensive construction, and may be made of sheet metal and wire, which may all be manufactured by means of dies and formers, and without hand work.

I claim as my invention:

. 1. An improved fastener comprising a member designed to be connected to a movable part, said member consisting of a plate having a loop therein, a link formed of a single piece of spring wire with its central portion pivoted to said loop, and its sides curved and its ends projected toward each other, and a handle member pivoted to said I ends and having an extension projected beyond the point where the link is connected to the handle, in a direction away from the nected to a stationary part and having a head deslgned to be engaged by the extension on the handle.

handle, and a member designed to be con- 2. An improved fastener comprising a member designed to be connected to a movable part and consisting of a link, means for pivotally connecting it to the movable part, and a handle member formed complete of a single piece of wire and having its central portion formed into a handle and also having 100 s formed in its sides designed to be pivotal y connected with said link, and having its ends extended be 0nd the loops away from the handle, an each other, and a keeper. designed to be sethen toward I cured to a stationary part and havin a head to be engaged by the extension en of the handle member.

3. An improved fastener comprising a I member designed to be connected to a movable part and consisting of a link, means for pivotally connectin it to the movable part, and a handle mem er formed complete of a single piece of wire and having its central portion formed into a handle and also having loops formed in its sides, designed to be pivotally connected with said link andhaving its ends extended be 0nd the loops away from the handle, an then toward each other, the sides of the handle between the loops and the handle end being curved, and a keeper designed to be secured to a stationary part and having a head to be engaged by the extension end of the handle member.

4. In a latch, a member designed to be secured to a stationary part, said member being formed complete of a single piece of sheet metal and comprising a flat body portion, a part extended at an acute angle relative to the body portion, a transverse head extended substantially at right angles to the signed to be connected to a moving part and comprising a link pivoted to the moving part, and a handle member pivoted to the link, the latter being designed to co-act with the member to be connected to a stationary part.

5. In a latch, a member designed to be secured to a stationary part, said member being formed complete of a single piece of sheet metal and comprising a flat body portion, a part extended at an acute angle relative to the body ortion, a transverse head extended substantially at right angles to the said flat portion, and having its outer portion curved in a direction toward the said fiat body portion, and lugs formed at the the latter being designed to co-act with the end portions of said head and extended 1n member to be connected to a stationary part. 10 a direction toward the said flat body portion Des Moines, Iowa, November 28, 1908.

and being arranged in substantially the same plane, and a latch member designed EDWARD WAlROUS' to be connected to a moving part and com- Witnesses:

prising a link pivoted to the moving part, MILDRED B. GOLDIZEN,

and a handle member pivoted to the link, NELLIE M. TAYLOR. 

